


Rise of Our Legacy

by Castielrogers1627, Luna8325, Shattered_RedFerns



Series: Books of Destiny [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Apocalypse, Cats, Death, Depression, Did I Mention Angst?, Earthquakes, Electrokinesis, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Nephilim, Original Fiction, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Shapeshifting, Slow Burn, Teleportation, Warlocks, not the movie cats, or the musical
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:15:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23165347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Castielrogers1627/pseuds/Castielrogers1627, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna8325/pseuds/Luna8325, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shattered_RedFerns/pseuds/Shattered_RedFerns
Summary: This was created for the co creators to have access and what is published is still being editing please ignore
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: Books of Destiny [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665172





	1. Chapter One - Phoebe

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first writing we are going as co authors and we have no idea what we doing and we have to go back in this update so please bare with us

The city of Chicago was busy and hot, but granted its late afternoon in the summer and people are either getting off work or students don't even have school and want to hang out at every single local teahouse or ice cream parlor in existence with their twenty five friends who also have twenty five other friends. They laughed and screamed cries of mirth brought by inside jokes and funny innuendos. Corinthia felt a prick of jealousy stab at her but she quickly stomped it down to nothing to leave the students to their Instagram posts and snapchat filters. It would not be long now.

The way home wasn't that long but with the exhaustion of the day and work she had really just wanted to lay down and she really didn't want to climb up four flights of stairs to get to the apartment. She did anyway. She didn't want to this next part but she had to before they got suspicious and ruin her plans too early.

Once she got to the door with the bright colored numbers of 447, she stopped in front of it and put her back down on the ground and crouched next to it as if she was looking for a key. Instead she leaned forward to the bag and pulled out a light purpled colored fin point sharpie, to the quick look around her and her skin underneath her left ring finer the numbers 93. Once done, she stood and knocked gently twice, waited two seconds then knocked louder five times, the first two closer together in a pair and the last three spaced further and evenly apart but each knock placed on a different section of the wood forming a triangle.

On the other side of the door the mail slot was opened and she slipped her hand through the space into the apartment, showing the purple numbers. The lock from the inside unlocked and she pulled her hand out to wait and pick at the purple ink on her skin impatiently. The door opened two inches and a voice called from the other side.

"Did you forget your key?"

"Yeah, I am having _such a forgetfully evening_."

The inside of the apartment was usually dim lighting as they were blocked by tall trees on their side of the building and there was nothing special in nicknacks and decor. And today was no different, the windows were opened to the green leaves of Dogwood and Oak trees leaving the so called living room in a green hue.

"Happy birthday." Paul said politely, "How was work?"

"Thank you." She smiled but refused to make eye contact with her brother, "I'm a little tired so I'm going to go take a nap for a while if that's okay."

"Sure it is. When should I wake you up?"

"How about when Liam and Katrina get back?"

"Okay, have a good nap then!"

She closed the door softly then rushed to action. Taking out her phone she started a timer for an hour, knowing Liam and Katrina didn't get back until 8:00, giving her plenty of time before they suspected anything. Crouching down on the ground by the bed she lifted the mattress and pulled out the manila folder hidden underneath. inside she pulled out the fake ID and emergency money that they had to stock for each of them. This was finally being used for something.

$450. Caroline Oddo.

She pulled out extra money from her pocket from tips that she got from the Café today. This should be enough to get her out of the city and a place to stay.

The glasses that lied on the bed she took and folded it over the neckline seem of her dark red shirt. She took her jacket off and placed it on the edge of her bed before changing into a white tank top and a green ball cap. Folding the jacket from where she left it the green stood out from the white mattress, she reached for her own back pocket and took out a single folded sheet of paper, signing she gently slipped it into the breast pocket of the jacket. 

She lifted her hand off the fabric with hesitation to reach behind her neck to move her golden silver hair over shoulder, her finger tips brushing the metal clasp of her necklace. She swallows thickly as she unclasps the chained lets the foreign cold air sting her skin and the her arms felt like they weighed a ton. Feeling the pin prick of tears in the back of her eyes, she shut them tight and she let the pendant drop over the pocket and note on the empty bed, in the empty room, breaking her empty heart.

Taking a deep breathe, she counting to 30.

She didn't want to leave, she didn't want to leave when Paul was over in the other room, so close but so so far from her. And she was the one that created the distance, the one that started the fights over the dumbest things like why they did this and the foster system and Liam's whole situation. It was all so unfair.

Corinthia wanted normal.

She wanted away from the constantly moving from crappy apartment to crappy apartment. She was sick and tired of the codes and passwords just to get into her room and to confirm her identity in text messages. Every. Single. Time.

She wanted normal so badly that she only felt mildly withdrawn when she lifted the window to the fire escape, walked across the metal surface and down the stairs and away from the apartment all together.

For a while she said. Just for a while.

She climbed down the ladder of the last story, metal hot from the sun and her palms begged to be released of contact, praising the humid air air when she let go as she stepped free to the concrete sidewalks. Her shoulder was jerked to the side when she found the crowded streets of Chicago, strangers and people bumping into one another like dominos. She was never one for big cities but they did make it harder to stop one single person out of what looked like a thousand, so she straightened her back and started walking forward as a part of the crowd.

The alleyway was empty and the light filtered through the two buildings with some difficulty, making the area a little sketchy but she stepped into the shadows to the dumpsters anyways. Next to the dumpster was a stalk of planks of wood and cardboard boxes that the homeless used for making their signs and shelters from the rain. Taking the largest piece of wood she shifts it to the side to lean against the green dump, moving the second and third and fourth planks of wood and stacks of moist boxes. Underneath all the clutter she found an old leather, dark blue backpack, even though she knew its contents by heart she unzipped it and double checked as for this time it was not a drill. There were a pair of jeans, shorts and two tops, one black tank top and one navy blue t shirt, a pair of black converse, a large black flashlight, a set of _The Melting Pot_ matches, a map of the city and United States, a dark crimson Astros sports cap, two unopened plastic water bottle and a pocket knife (which she stuffed into her back pocket).

The bookstore just around the corner she knew had a communion bathroom free to the public, throwing the backpack over her shoulder she walked in silently, pretending to be interested in the fantasy section before making her way to the bathroom. One inside she clumsily took out her contacts, throwing the lens into the toilet with disgust, she always hated wearing them, and took the glasses off the neckline of her shirt, pushing them up her nose. Next she changed out of the shorts and tank top to the jeans, navy blue shirt and converse. She Flushed the toilet to not be too noticeable and looked into the mirror as she pulled her hair in a tight ponytail, trading the green ball cap for the Astros, and checking that none of her blonde was visible, having to brush back her baby hairs multiple times to stay behind her ears.

With the moment she noticed the still marked sharpie 93 on her ring finger. She shoving soap into her palms and raking her finger nails over the purple, irritating the skin to blotchy red in its place.

The next step was to get on a bus to Gary. It was a half an hour trip and she couldn't risk them finding her now so she had to get to the bus stop soon. She threw the backpack onto her shoulders and left the alleyway, pulling out her phone for a quick check of the time.

She has about a half an hour remaining.

The actual bus trip was lonely to say the least. Corinthia had her forehead pressed to the cold glass as it quickly warmed from her body temperature and breath, her mind a wash of emotions that she couldn't even name but that she had felt more times than she can count, the confusion in the mixture of the said emotions made things complex like that, one emotion was by far easier to pinpoint a name and reason to. But right now she felt her stomach being weighed down by tons and her head was light headed like flying on a plane at a too high altitude. Like a roller coaster that was more psychological and emotional than anything.

She was scared, but she had to do this and she was convinced that absolutely no one could stop her from doing it.

"G-getting off at G-gar-ry, In-indiana!"

To stuck in her own head, she hadn't noticed the bus had stopped til the stuttering robotic voice poured though the announcements.

Getting off the bus into Gary she went to the closest store, she made a bee line to the hair section, she lifted her hand to reach for a dark brunette hair dye off the shelf but she hesitated. This was not her first time dying her hair, she has been a red head a few times, brunette for more and has dyed her hair black for far too many times than she would like to admit when she was going through multitude of stereotypical emo and rebellious phases. But to honest she has never died her hair permanently, its always been washed out when the color has served its purpose. Something about Paul not wanting her to lose her 'pretty blonde' hair. So instead she picked out the semi permanent _dark chocolate brown_ dye, the most inexpensive hair curler and blow dryer she could find and cheap jewelry then made her way back to the front to self check, snagging a map and newspaper by the cashiers as she went out, leaving like she was never there to continue her way to a motel.

A soft ping alerted her to her phone and she recognized Paul's number immediately. She felt her heart sink in her chest at the thought of leaving her brother behind and she sighed heavily as she rejected the call and slide the phone back into her pocket, ignoring the pings that followed. The build was not high but it overlooked a busy street of cars that were destined to crush anything that had the misfortune of falling below the wheels. With a heavy heart the phone went off once more and the painful numbers of Paul's calling phone, she outstretched her arm over the edge and let go, the phone tumbled from her hand and through the air before hitting the street below, staying still for a second before the cars came crushing and she had to look away from the disappearance of Paul's number.

She had no other problems, finding and booking a one over night at a motel with practiced ease of years of watching Paul and Liam, besides the uncomfortableness of the short old man at the front eyeing her weird once she gave him the money. She immediately locked the door after her in the motel room and went to the bathroom to take out the hair dye from the gas station plastic bag. The directions were easy, though she had minor difficulty with being alone.

Completed, Corinthia dried she hair on the white motel towels, them now coming out as brown and didn't look at all suspicious, and looked into the mirror with a sign. Dark, a shade down from black, medium length hair with a few barely noticeable highlights and red tinted highlights, blown dry and curled in soft yet tight coils. She changed into the white and red plaid shirt loosely over a low cut black tank top and put on the jewelry she bought, a pair of large fake silver hoop earring, two loose chain necklaces and a single fake gold ring around her left index finger. Now how would Paul and the others be able to recognize her when she barely did herself? She was now Caroline Oddo.

Leaving the motel room, the things left behind her were the old change of clothes and the used packages of hair dye. She still had another stop for today. Each stop she took she would change clothes and little things about her appearance for it to be harder to track her on any sort of camera or eye witnesses. 

The next bus trip, she felt nothing. It was empty and she couldn't think, couldn't feel, couldn't hurt herself.

But she was hurting because her mind was filled with images of her and her family. 

Liam.

Katrina.

 _Paul._

What was she doing?

Normal is not something she can ever have, not from running not pretending to be someone she is not and lying to herself about her family. Abandoning her family.

Confusion bloomed into her mind mind, fogging up any thoughts not consisting of her brothers smile and kind words encouraging her to _keep on going_. 

Hurt spasmed her organs that felt like her intestines were tying themselves up and making her wan to throw up. 

_Keep on going._

This wasn't the _keep on going_ that her brother was referring to. Running away was not _keeping going_ but it was more like giving up and Paul wouldn't have wanted her this from her, wouldn't want her to just give up trying and give in to the pain. 

Thats what she's going right? Giving into the pain. 

She needed to make it home.

_Home._

Katrina's small hands in her hair to weave the silvery stands into braids, Liam's warm hugs after a particularly bad nightmare and Paul's voice drifting across the room as he sang making her feel as if she belonged no matter where they were. Why wasn't that good enough for her this time? Why wasn't _she_ good enough?

She stood up before the bus came to a complete stop, making her way to the front, jamming her way out the door as soon as they opened another even bothering to listen the driver shout complaints at she back. Practically running she grabbed the arm of the blond stranger who was on his phone waiting for the next bus as had to keep herself together as her voice cracked, "Do you know when the bus to Chicago is?"

The stranger could sense her urgency, for he lowered his phone and looked over at her as in thought but not keeping her in wait for long, responding thickly, "A bus is leaving in that direction I believe."

Corinthia's heart spasmed in her rib cage. The bus was moving intuit slow engine start of carrying a longer than normal vehicle so that gave her time. She wasn't the best as running but the desperation took a toll and she did not know how she made it to the front of the bus enough to slam her hand on the hard plastic and metal doors. The bus driver looked over at her as if she was insane and then looked forward to the road to ignore her.

"Damn it!" Corinthia yelled in frustration. She could not lose the bus, making it home as fastest as possible was what she really needed right now. 

She ran into action, with new found determination and running off nothing but hope, into the street and flailing her arms at passing by cars. A neon yellow cabbie stopped his car to yell out his window for her to move. She went to the side of the car, practically jumping in front middle age man wearing a red green suit and pushed herself inside.

"Chicago." She answered immediately to the driver, and once he started to drive she leaned back into the seat panting in relief. "Thank you." 

After an agonizing hour an a half the driver halted by the road and shouted gruffly about money. Corinthia threw whatever was left in her pocket at the driver and run out the cab without even closing the door as she fled further down the streets trying to find familiar routes.Her legs nearly gave out when she climbed up the apartment stairs, slipping onto her knees when she reached the top making her hiss in pain. 

She ran through the hallway to the door, quickly rehearsing an apology or five. Once she reached the door she stopped to a halt, taking a deep breath and tasing her hand to knock. She jerked to a stop as the sound of something breaking through the door. 

Corinthia shoved the door open with a shout, "Paul!"

What shew saw in the apartment room made her blood go cold.

Five tall men stood in the middle of the living room. Two on each side of Liam forcing him to his knees as Paul and Katrina were crumbled to the ground, Katrina had fallen to one of the men's feet as if begging and Paul was laying on his side and groaning as he has smashed into a cheap wood desk. There was fresh red caked to his temple.

The Vegarl Gang.

Corinthia gasped loudly and two of the men and Liam turned her direction. 

Liam tried to leaned forward out of the men's hold, "Corinthia, go!"

She didn't listen. 

One of the Vegarl men reached to grab her she pulled out her pocket knife and flipped open the blade and slashed it over the man's palms. He hissed to her but he did not relent his attack. The man took her wrist in a vice grip and bending it at an odd angle which make her arm spasm with pain that dropped the pocket knife somewhere lost on the floor, sponging her around to slam her back against his chest as he pinned her arm between them. She overcame her shock and skimmed in the man's grip, crying out in frustration. 

When she looked up she saw Paul had pushed himself onto his elbows to look back at Corinthia with an expression of shock and anxiety. He opened his mouth as if to call out for her but he snapped it shut when the man that had been standing over him turn to the door. His dirty dark eyes finding Corinthia making her want to scream with how wrong it felt to be looked at like that. 

"And who do we have here? Corinthia was it?" He angled his neck to Liam, gaze never leaving Corinthia, "Isn't that right Wilhelm?" Then the man stepped over the mess of the living room and called over his shoulder to the man standing over Katrina as he stalked over to Corinthia, "Make sure they stay down." 

The man who Corinthia assumed was the leader of this group sauntered towards her making her scrim with anxiety growing in the pit of her stomach and the man holding her tightened his grip enough to leave bruises. 

"Pretty one, aren't you?" The leader traced his coarse callused fingers along her jaw, stopping at her shin to tip her head up to look him in the eye. "I have always liked brunettes," Corinthia roughly turned her head away from him but he catch her chin tightly and forced her to stay still as he leaned closer for her to smell the cigarette smock on his skin making her gag. "A little feisty aren't you? Don't worry, I'll put you in your place."

Corinthia felt tears prick in the corner of her eyes, screwing them shut as the man's hand fell down to drag down her neck and his gaze dropped lower with it. 

Loud bangs filled the apartment and the hand lift away from her throat making Corinthia let out a heavy breath of almost relief as the man behind her only tightened his grip at this. Corinthia looked up at the scene in front of her at the leader turned to Paul as her brother has ripped free from the man holding him down. Paul then threw himself forward to the leader with a hard left hook that barely fazed the man. 

The leader has his back turned to Corinthia so she couldn't see his reaction but she could hear the venom in his voice as he spat out, "I enjoy your courage, kid." Before he threw a punch back, effectively making Paul limply fall to the ground. 

"Paul!" Corinthia tried to pull on the hold that the man had on her but it only had her scream out against the pain of what felt like her arm being dislocated. 

The leader crouched down to Paul's crumpled form, leaning down to whisper some atrocity into his ear in hopes of breaking him further. Paul's hand shot out from underneath him, a flash of silver from Corinthia's dropped pocket knife, but Paul didn't get there in time as the leader pushed his hand awkwardly back into Paul's stomach. 

The movement was too fast for Corinthia to process until red started leaking through the thin light blue fabric of Paul's shirt Corinthia could hear muffled screaming. It took a second for her to release it was her own as she didn't remember when her mouth was cover. 

The leader yanked the knife out with small spurt of thick crimson and a cry of pain from Paul that twisted in Corinthia's chest like she had the wound also. The leader then spun Paul's quickly faltering body so his back was to his chest, the attacker pressed the knife into the blond's neck. 

"And where do you think you are going, Wilhelm?" At the leader's rough tone Corinthia looked up that the person in question. 

Liam clung to Katrina who's shoulders were limp and legs quickly giving out as Liam pulled her up by her waist against his chest. They were frozen were Liam was leaning out the window in a quick escape from the center of the commotion and clamor. Liam didn't even give her a glance. Corinthia felt a rock drop further in the pit of her stomach, her throat going dry from the shock of sudden abandonment or the screaming, she didn't know. 

"I came all this way and you really think I'm going to let you slip away over some pretty girl and pitiful fight?" The leader's voice barely registered in Corinthia's head. 

The leader leaned back slightly and turned a lazy glimpse over his shoulder at Corinthia before a nauseating smile reveled his yellowing teeth. "Choice time." He turned to look back at Liam, his expression once again hidden from Corinthia. "You come with me and I'll leave you and your family alone or you can leave with a pitiful attempt save that girls life with knowing you can never stop running and leaving behind your _precious_ brother and sister."

No. Liam would never trade them off like a pair of cattle for his own benefit. They promised to stayed together through everything. 

But who was Corinthia to place judgment when she tried to run away first. 

Corinthia was running from her problems even if it left her family alone and vulnerable to attack which it did just like Liam. 

"No, Liam don't-" Corinthia tried to sob out against the man holding hers foul smelling leather covered hand before he twisted her arm behind her more that turned her cries into pained whimpers. 

"I'll give you some time to think." The leader' venomous voice started to sound more and more disoriented as Corinthia watched back and forth Liam inching towards the door and the dark crimson puddle growing on the wood floor. 

"10"

"9"

_8..._

"7"

_6..._

"5"

_4..._

_3..._

_2..._

"1"

Corinthia's body was let go and she whimpered slightly when her shoulder collided with the hard floor. She let herself lay there for a second before a pair of rough hands camped over her upper arms to shove her upright and push her against the door. She closed her eyes and turned away from the horrid breath the puffed in her face and neck, the hands manhandled her up on unsteady feet one to plugged her back down on the door, face forward into warm, wet wood.

Something was placed on her head and she flinched, dropping her head down further till her cheek was against the floor as if bowing. But the pressure was gentle and soft and almost reassuring. 

Corinthia snapped her head up and opened her eyes to look up at the figure of Paul gently smiling at her from the spot he was curled into on the ground. Her brother was covered in blood, red soaked his clothes and leaked out on the floor in pounds that surrounded them both in pools. 

"Paul!" Corinthia jumped forward and placed her hands over the wet shirt to lean over and apply all her weight down onto Paul's stomach. "You are going to be okay, just tell me what to do! Where's Liam? I need his help." She looked up around the room to the open and empty window with a pang in his heart. 

"...go."

She turned to face Paul to see his gentle but pained expression that twisted in her heart. "What?"

"Let go."

Corinthia shook her head violently that blurred everything together. "No, Paul, let me how to save you, I can help as long as you tell me what to do." She bit her lip and looked back at the wound and tried to remember everything Paul had told her about stabs and cuts. 

"Phoebe."

Corinthia froze her action to turn back to her brother, his eyes were filled with water and streamed down his face that left tracks along his cheeks around the blood caking his skin. He pressed his hands over her but instead to applying more pressure his fingers curled around hers and pulled them off, sticky and wet with crimson. He pulled one hand away to his front side pocket to pull out with incredible difficulty a folded sheet of paper and a silver chain. 

Her heart clinched at the sight of him pressing them into her hands, their fingers shaking in tangent. She looked up at him as her vision started to swim with her own tears that blurred her vision in red and blue and blond. "I'm so sorry." She sobbed, her head bowing forward and her tears fell onto their hands, tears mixing with blood. "None of this would have happened if I had just been brave enough to stay."

A gentle hand pressed stickily against her cheek to wipe away her tears but the thumb got stump in a patch of dried blood. She looked up one more as Paul started talking again, his breath slowing and voice coming out in erratic whispers. 

"Be..." He swallowed thickly, breath shallowing. "Brave... Now, Phoebe." 

"I promise, Paul, I promise." She shook her head aggressively, brown hair bobbing, and she tightened her fingers around the necklace and note in one and Paul's cold fingers in the other. Paul released sign as his body eased down as if relaxing, tears in his eyes slowing down their streams and smile softening as he closed his eyes and nodded lightly, also not there at all. 

"Okay, enough of that." Harsh voices broke through and reached for Corinthia's shoulder. 

Then all of Corinthia's world shook at the core. Literally. 

The apartment ground convulsed in a frenzy and the ceiling slip in large crakes like lighting was striking the building. Bits of ceiling fell over their heads and walls crumpled together threatening the room and whole tower to fall into its self. 

Corinthia started screaming as the gang members ran themselves into turmoil as they ran to doors and windows for escape. Fearing death and being crushed. 

Corinthia stopped screaming and curled towards her brother protectively, embracing him one last time as they were being driven far too early to their expiration dates. 

Paul jerked into movement and flipped them over so Corinthia was laying on the floor and Paul was shielding her with his body in a vice like hug. 

Goodbye, it said.

Pure pain shot through her as hot red blood splurged on them both like an explosion. 

Then everything went black. 


	2. Alix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry mine is not a song as the queen of writing from chapter one but I hope you enjoy the book

9:32 pm, May 17 2024

The smell of the wet sidewalk, and the gliding light of cars rushing down the streets kicking up puddles of water. The street lamps lighting up the streets with the dim yellowish glow bouncing off the brick walls of the buildings lining on each sides of the road. 

The tall building made of red brick stands on the side off the road with the entrance boarded up with sheets of wood and all of the windows are the same with pieces of wood covering the shattered glass and sections of fencing up in front of the ply wood. The smell of rioting wood seeps from the building making the area near the street smell awful. The building has an ally way next to it that is dark and wet, with a fencing high above the ground. 

Boots clash against the ground with droplets of rain water splashing around the leather, she stops in front of the fence taking off her bag, throwing it over the fence to the other side. She takes a quick glance around, looking down the street for anyone driving and or taking a late stroll down the street of New York; she hops onto the fence climbing over the metal fence to the other side before dropping down to the cement. Alixandria quickly up her bag and walks deeper into the ally so no one can see her from the street, she pulls up her hair into a ponytail getting it out of her face. She takes out her flashlight from her bag, pointing it up the outside walls of the old building.

Old pieces of the brick fall from the wall to the concrete collecting in plies near the wall, overgrown vines and branches collect on the side of the walls making the building look even older then it accurately is. The idea of exploring abandoned places interest her, to find a new hidden world left untouched and depending on the location persevered place where people used to thrive. 

Alix enters the building from an broken in window with no wood covering frame, she slowly places her boots onto the ground the putrid smell of the rioting inside of the building burns her nose. She pulls out her black face mask from her pocket in her jacket placing it on her face, keeping her safe from black mold and other things. Alix points around her flashlight, the paint pealing walls covered in differently colored spray paint and cracks follow the walls up the ceiling. Debris from the cracked ceiling with shattered pieces of glass liter the ground, making it impossible the step anywhere without making a little of noise exploring the building.

Small whispers echo through the empty building, nearing the open window where Alix climbed through in the ally. 

Alix spins around her flashlight to the window, noticing its only her friends joining her in exploring, but late. 

“ _about time.”_ Alix signs to her friends. 

One of the friend stubbles through the open window, his hair becomes covered in small specks of dust with his jacket and backpack; After him her other friend more gracefully come in through the window, her hair braided down her back and feathered earrings hanging near her neck. 

“ _Asshole. We didn’t want to get caught.”_ Miyka signs to Alix, the only light of Alix’s flashlight making it hard to see the hand movement correctly.

” _B_ e _nice Miyka. I brought my camera lets do this.”_ Kena says with her hand movements. 

The building on the inside has some much more to offer then the outside does. With most of the old part of the condemned hotel still intact with the empty swimming pool, the gym with all the workout equipment still there, and also the office portions stool having keys and papers spread out as the people that were there disappeared in thin air. 

The glass covering the floors and the small pieces of cement create the floor with a milky white texture. Some areas have large holes in the walls from idiots that come through places like this to destroy it. 

Kena taps on Alix’s shoulder, Alix spins around facing her with the flashlight. “ _Do you smell that?”_

” _I smell it to its awful.”_ Miyka pegs in with his hand motions. 

Alix nods her head, moving her flashlight around the area they are in, trying to find the source of the smell. She turns into one of the hotel rooms off the main hallway; slowly pushing one of the doors open the smell becomes rancid, so much stronger then it was before. Alix steps into the room, covering her nose with her wrist trying to weaken the smell from what ever it is.

”Oh my God!” Kena cries out, burying her facing into Miyka shoulder as they both turn away.

A man lays motionless on the ground, his neck slashed to whole way around his throat to his back; The man lays face down on the ground, his arms tied behind his back and his ankles tied together.

Alix stands shocked with the flashlight pointed to the dead man. She swallows deeply, turning around putting her back to the victim. “Go. I’ll call the police. Make sure no one sees you..”

Both of them agree running off into the rest of the hotel to get away.

Leaving Alix alone in a room with a dead body, and the smell of rotting flesh billowing in the air. 

11:09 pm

The colors of the flashing red and blues lights shinning through the streets, bouncing off the buildings reflecting into the sky. The dark overhead on the sky cascading down into the city but the darkness quickly dissipating into the artificial light beaming throughout the concrete city. 

But that is how most things are now, the modern world constantly coming up with new and advanced ways to cure an underlying issue within society but be in the times before this, people used to adapt to the world they lived in not change it to make it work for them. This of course is not a bad thing that the human race is adapting to the world they live in with new technology which improves life spans and new ideas everyday on the planet. The past is the past and no one can change how the past was, but the past does shape what the world is today and that is the beauty of the past; you can relive it and dawn on it but the future that's the mystery that the universe can't even answer. 

People crowding and moving between others as car block off the scenes from the rest of the public and media trying to get a glimpse of what is going on behind the yellow tapes. The police run around the taped off area collecting data and information about the crime committed before them. Alix stands alone in the midst of the men and women working among the crime scene, her arms crossed over her chest looking down at the ground kicking around small rocks and pebbles waiting for her mother to scold her for Alix's recklessness. With the constant deep mum within her ears breaking no silence as they have been since she was 2. 

With a slight touch on he shoulder, Alix lifts her head spinning around facing the person who got her attention. Kiren, her mother, looks into her daughters eyes, "can you tell me what I did wrong with you?" Alix reads her mothers lips only catching a few words as they come into her ears. Even with hearing aids its hard to hear everything that someone is saying to Alix but she taught herself at a young age to learn certain vocal cues into order to read lips more effetely. 

"You did nothing wrong Mom." 

"They why do you go out and do things like this? Trespassing? Braking and entering?" Her mother says while signing a few words at the same time. 

Alix shakes her head, turning away from her mother. "I don't want to talk about it right now okay." 

Alix has been around a lot of crime scenes for being only 18, and before she was allow on the actually scene she was able to look at the crime scene photos of some cases before they were even solved. Perks of her father being a captain of a police department and her mother being a CSI. 

Her mother taps her shoulder again, trying to give her daughter a small smile as an apology."Alix. Can you grab my bag from the van please." Her mother is a highly practiced women in her field and is very well known for her work but to Alix, she was an amazing mother. She loved her father but she is closer to her mother, especially after one of her fathers drinking episodes. Her mother even though she would work late nights she still would take the time to spent with Alix. 

Her father was a person highly respected but that respect was earned through pain and trauma, that lead to some times his drinking and a part of Alix can't blame her father but she is the one that is the most affected by his episodes. People are able to put on strong faces for everyone else but for family that mask falls and shows their true broken self. 

Alix walks quickly towards the van with the letters in bold white on the side saying Crime Scene Investigation, she swings open the heavy van doors climbing in. Setting down her clipboard, she picks up the bag filled with equipment able to find specific details about the crime. Alix jumps out of the van, landing on her heels shutting the door behind her. Walking through the crowd of police she reaches her mother, standing before detectives in a white lab coat. "Mom."

Her mother turns around, grabbing the bag from Alix’s hand. “Did you see anyone else while you were in the building?”

”Heared a few noises like there was someone else in there but its New York and there’s a 89% chance there is most of the time.” Alix explains to her mother. 

She was noticeably unimpressed by Alix’s statement. “I talked to the responding officer and there will be no charges pressed on you for trespassing but if they catch you again Alix, you’ll be arrested.”

Alix knew all of that, she knew that way before her mother knew about Alix running around in abandoned buildings for fun. In a family that is all about following the law to the point, Alix wanted to feel an adventure and explore the world that decays in plain sight, that’s why she chose urban exploring; the only thing that is dangerous enough that its ok to have fun. “Does the family know about him? About his death?”

Her mother shakes her head, putting her hand up to her daughters face holding it on her cheek. “You don’t have to worry about that.” She looks down at the ground, taking her hand off Alix cheek , noticing Alix dirty boots. “You need to go home, your father and I have to talk about what happened. If you wont tell your father about the abandon building stuff then I wont either, deal?”

”Deal.”

 _“Mo ghrá thú.”_ Her mother signs, to her. A group of signs that her and her mother made when she was a child. The most simple way to save I love you to each other.

“love you to mom.” Alix says, giving her a smile before turning out into the crowd of press and bystanders. She gets out into the street, wrapping her arms around her body as the rain starts to fall again from the sky. As car wiz by she waits for a tax to come into her view down the street.

alix calls out to the taxi as it pulls over to the sidewalk letting her get into the car. She slides into the black leather seats and speaks through the open glass. “32 E 82rd st.”

the taxi pulls off to the street, driving off as the rain bangs against the windshield.   
  


In Alix’ lap her phone buzzes, showing a text on her home screen from Noah.   
  


“meet me at the Central Park library.”

Alix lifts up her head to the glass panel between the driver and her. “Actually can you take me to the Central Park Library. I’ll give you extra.”

Driver simply nods, driving off towards Central Park. With the rain slowly coming to a stop but the streets still soaked in the liquid bleeding from the sky. 

11:26

Across from the bright green trees of Central Park, the beautiful blooming flowers and the bustling amount of people walking the streets of the park and of the city, is a tall glass and concrete building. The widows are tinted but you are able to see out in the green colored park across the way, and the black hidden behind clouds of grey. The rain finally lifted. The marbled steps of the building lead to an entry way of glass doors, behind them is a large open room filled with endless rows and isles of books from all around the world and every culture. The shelves are a bark brown wood, with the walls bright white, and the colorful decorations. The front desk a white wood that's a half dome shape with beautiful black and white marble top. The floor a solid black with specks of white fluttered through. In the center of the library desk are in a circle surrounding a mural of earth in the floor and other desks in circular patterns in smaller formations scattered through the huge clearing center. Above it all, a beautiful stain glass widow of the sun that is in a dome form on the ceiling letting all of the natural light to flow through the library.

Walking through the doors of the library, Alix captured by the florescent light of the building, the black floors contrasting the bright light with darkness. She is the type of person that could be noticed in a large crowd because of her bright red hair but she is also the same person that after a single glance they will never remember her. Easy to spot, quick to forget. The snap of her boot heels against the marble echo through the building, it wouldn't bother anyone because it is almost midnight and no one really goes a library anymore. 

Standing under the large stain glass window, with the darkness of the sky bleeding through the yellow hued window; Noah, the boy that has been there for Alix since they were kids and is her best friend. Noah was a man that Alix swore was the only person that truly understood her. 

Alix simply smiles at her friend, giving a small wave. "Hey."

"Hey."

"What no enthusiasm for calling me into the library at-" Alix glances down at her phone in hand flashing the time on her screen. "11:46 pm." she lets out a laugh looking up at her friend with his dark brown hair shinning in the artificial white light.

Noah forces a smile at her. 

"Whats wrong? Your acting weird." Alix signs the word, trying not to make it fast for him. ASL is a very hard language to learn and Noah has been learning for a while but she makes sure that she still can give him a challenge to practice.

"Do you remember when I applied for the university in Oxford?" Noah says, quickly glancing around behind her and pin pointing little details of her clothes, like the police jacket she is wearing the embroidered badge fraying a little with threads, only to avoid eye contact with her. Which for a hard of hearing person is very distracting. 

Alix crosses her arms, leaning her weight on one leg. "Yea I remember."

"I was accepted."

Alix's face lights up, grabbing her friends hand in hers squeezing it tight, some of her rings dig into his palm. "I'm so happy for you, you have been wanting this for so long and-" Alix stops herself, everything is now making sense. Selling his car, not wanting to go to Latia's party even after she invited him. The goodbye hug last night before he left her house. She drops his hand letting it fall to his side.

"Alix please. I wanted to tell." Noah tries to reach out to his friend, to hold her hand again to let her know that he never would hurt her, to comfort her; more like comfort him.

"Were you?" her voice is quite and ached. 

"I wanted to tell you so bad-"

"Were you ever going to! You can say what you want to but that doesn't mean you were going to tell me that your leaving! You were going to leave without even telling me." Alix can feel her heart shattering on pieces the one person she trusted the most wasn't going to tell her that they were moving out of the country. She would have been supportive! Upset? Yes but that doesn't mean she wouldn't let her best friend not live out his dream. "When do you leave?'' her voice was stern and cold, only wanting a straight answer from him. 

"Tomorrow morning." Noah says, taking in a deep breath ready to endure the fury from her as she takes in the information. 

11:58 pm 

Alix face drops, pain filling her eyes. "You son of a bitch!" Her heart shatters, he was going to leave without telling her. All the things they have been through, the thick and thin he wanted to leave her. Alix grabs onto herself, spinning around on her heels before walking away from Noah. 14 years of a friendship gone within seconds. "After everything in the world we have been through you were going to up and leave without even telling me! How do you think that was going to turn out Noah!"

"Alix. Please. Hear me out." 

"No! Get away from me Noah!" She continues to walk towards the exit unable to think.

"Alix!" Noah again calls out to Alix, he can't lose her but the reality is,he just did. "Alix. You know i wouldn't do anything to hurt you!"

"It isn't the fact you didn't tell me but it's the fact you didn't trust me enough to be happy for you to tell me. _I am_ happy for you but how could you just stand their and say to my face that you wanted to tell me that you were leaving to Europe for God knows how long and yet not!" 

"I said enough!" Alix spins back around on her heels, her long hair following in the same motion, facing the man that used to be her rock, but now, she doesn't know who he is. Tears want to fall down her face but she won't allow it, she won't allow for him to know she is in pain. Noah still attempts to grab her attention, to still believe in the trust they had before this, but Alix can't just stop. "Enough Noah!"

12:00 am, May 18, 2024 

The ground starts to roar and shake, the walls having cracks spiderweb up the concrete. The ceiling above her shakes and brakes apart as pieces of debris fall to the ground, colliding with the marble beside her. Dust begins to cloud around the ground as more and more blocks of cement fall from the ceiling and book shelf fall over and slam into the marble floor. 

The building is falling apart and in collapsing in on itself, everything is tumbling to the ground. Glass and brick shattering all around her. Her heart is slamming against her chest, her mind not being able to think properly to think of a way out. The entrance is caved in so there is no way out, she is going to die buried alive in a pile of concrete and brick. All at the moment as the ground still shakes all she is able to think about is her family. Alix can't move from her position worried to move forward or back.

Suddenly from above, the large stain glass window shatters into billions of small pieces and fall to the ground towards Alix. She quickly bends over, slamming her knees into the marble floor hoping her back takes much of the impact from the falling glass. Shards of the glass scratch and cut her arms and the top of her head. Warm trickles of blood run down her arms and her temples. The dust going into her lungs, causing her to cough and cough for a fresh breath of air. 

The ground continues to shake and shake like it will be never ending. Alix screams at the top of her lungs of what air she has left, letting out all of the pain and fear at once. She knows at the back of her head, this is could be the last moment she has on earth. 

Then nothing. The one thing that every human is scared at a point of their lives. Darkness.

Pure.

Darkness.


End file.
